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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · wave · staff · dip · bear · bat · present · content

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. band — a music group
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. band — a ring
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. staff — a stick
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — the animal
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. content — happy
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. content — the amount
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com